Flourish
On a recent trip to Maui I left with a thought asking God, “Could you reveal creation on this trip?” We left with our list of what we wanted to do, all the places to visit, things to see, anticipating what was to come. On the plane ride I could hear a retired travel agent talking to the man she was seated next to. Asking if this was his first time with his answer being yes that she then began to fill him in on all the things he must do. As I listened to her I started thinking of my list and things not on there she was talking about. Would I be missing out? I felt the Lord gently remind me that wasn't what He had for me because He had been speaking to my heart lately about resting and her list did not sound restful it sounded the opposite.
Arriving at our condo we encountered the hurricane damage that had changed many beaches. The snorkel beach wasn't clear water, instead it had been churned to the point of it no longer being clear but dirty that snorkeling didn’t seem as exciting. The things I wanted to do on my list was beginning to change my plan. God had something better.
The list pretty much went out the door by the second day because God was showing us different things. One of those was a view on top of a volcanic mountain 10,000 feet above. Our agenda was to go see the sunrise but little did we know that to do that we needed a reservation months before we arrived. We got something even better. Driving to this spot on top of the mountain was another road full of twists and turns but because it wasn't the sunrise it wasn’t too crowded and was again like nothing I have ever seen before. At the top of the volcanic mountain a plant caught my eye in an instant. It's beautiful silver shimmery protective leaves stood in a way that I have never seen before. This plant known as Haleakala Silverwood grew nowhere else in the world and thrived in high altitude and chilling temperatures. Before getting to the top of the mountain we were wearing shorts and tank tops and and reaching this place it was 20 degrees colder so understanding this magnitude of difference struck me in a way to take notice of this plant. Reading that it grew swords that opened towards the sky reminded me of a creation that couldn’t reject the Creator. Just like me it was unique in a way that it was protected from all the dangers and could thrive in conditions that didn't make sense. So why do I forget the Creator is my Maker of heaven and earth?
“In him you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation and when you believed.” Ephesians 1:13
The plant that thrived was started from one seed. We get to partner with our Creator to reflect the heart of God.
Father,
We plant and you sow. Remind us of that when it looks like nothing is happening. Thriving and flourishing is how we were made to live and that sometimes doesn’t look like we see it. Give us eyes to see what you see Jesus. Grow our dependence upon you alone. Teach us what it means to allow your Spirit to redirect our hearts and minds to remember your truth. Amen
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